Business News

EU court ruling on Belgian tax breaks may affect Apple case

14th February 2019

Europe’s second-highest court will rule tomorrow whether a Belgian tax break which benefited some 35 large companies is illegal state aid, a judgment which could provide clues to other tax cases involving Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler. As part of its crackdown on tax avoidance, the European Commission three years ago ordered Belgium to recover […]

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Anger as credit unions move to lower insurance death benefits

13th February 2019

Credit union members have reacted angrily to moves by a number of the lenders to reduce a key insurance benefit. Most credit unions offer death benefit insurance and share insurance. These provide a payment when the member dies, at no cost to the members. But the high cost of providing the cover has seen credit […]

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No deal Brexit would see consumer prices rise – retail group

13th February 2019

The imposition of tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit will inevitably see consumer prices rising here, according to Retail Ireland. Thomas Burke, director of the Ibec retail industry group, said the imposition of tariffs of up to 30 or 40% on some products couldn’t be absorbed by the retail industry. The sector, he […]

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No deal Brexit would see consumer prices rise – retail group

13th February 2019

The imposition of tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit will inevitably see consumer prices rising here, according to Retail Ireland. Thomas Burke, director of the Ibec retail industry group, said the imposition of tariffs of up to 30 or 40% on some products couldn’t be absorbed by the retail industry. The sector, he […]

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Soft Brexit may be ‘blessing in disguise’ to halt overheating risk

13th February 2019

How Irish policymakers manage the fall-out from Brexit – regardless of the form it takes – will be important for assessing Irish credit fundamentals into the future, according to Canadian credit rating agency DBRS. How effectively authorities use fiscal and macro-prudential policy tools to manage the eventual Brexit outcome are an important test in terms […]

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Soft Brexit may be ‘blessing in disguise’ to halt overheating risk

13th February 2019

How Irish policymakers manage the fall-out from Brexit – regardless of the form it takes – will be important for assessing Irish credit fundamentals into the future, according to Canadian credit rating agency DBRS. How effectively authorities use fiscal and macro-prudential policy tools to manage the eventual Brexit outcome are an important test in terms […]

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Housing market could be facing a hit in 2019

5th February 2019

With mortgage approvals for first-time buyers down in December and new housing output in Dublin falling, the outlook for the housing market in 2019 is uncertain. The Irish banks approved 2,908 new mortgages in December 2018 with a total value of €656m. There was an almost 6pc increase in the number of new mortgages approved […]

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No-deal Brexit could push us into recession in 18 months

5th February 2019

Ireland’s robust economic performance faces an ‘existential threat’ from a no-deal Brexit, the stockbroking firm warned in its latest quarterly ‘health check’ on the Irish economy. “We assume that the UK will leave the EU in an orderly manner on March 29, or more likely later, but the risks have risen over recent weeks of […]

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Automation poses threat to Irish jobs, new survey finds

4th February 2019

Three out of four Irish people think automation and robots will cause unemployment, a new survey claims. However, the iReach poll also says that most people believe robots will be good for the economy, estimating that the jobs under threat may exclude their own. The poll of 1,000 people found that just 16pc see “no […]

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Isif pledges €10m-plus Brexit aid for companies

4th February 2019

The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) may take equity stakes in Irish businesses to help them overcome Brexit, and is willing to inject more than €10m into individual companies. Ireland’s sovereign wealth fund said it would use its capital to support companies with UK exposure. Isif director Eugene O’Callaghan said the fund would be more […]

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